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I wish I could buy one of those vans. They're almost exactly what I want to make a camper from.

by coryrc 4y ago

PaulDavisThe1st 4y ago
EVs are still not campervan ready unless you have no plans to boondock (i.e you will always have a connection to the grid when you stop for the night). If you use solar for recharging, best efforts (with a huge unfolding PV array) get you maybe 100 mile hops. That might be enough for some folks, but it's probably not going to be generally satisfactory (and, btw, it is a huge PV array that is required).
- coryrc 4y ago
  My plan is large PV array for supplying daily needs but paid charging or campsites for the vast majority of travel energy. Slow or local travel is the primary usage.
- hot_gril 4y ago
  Would a diesel generator solve the problem?
  - fbdab103 4y ago
    Now you have to carry the diesel inside the cabin. I have no idea what the efficiency is, but I have to assume diesel generator->electric battery is going to take a sizeable bite out of the energy budget. At that point why not just buy an ICE?
    - jaclaz 4y ago
      >Now you have to carry the diesel inside the cabin. Or have a trailer with the generator and fuel tank, I always thought (if we can depart from the "ideological" part of EV vs. ICE) that it could be a "standard" range extender for any kind of electric car, a sort of hybrid on demand, you normally drive (short range) an EV and if you have to do a longer trip you rent the trailer with the generator set.
      - coryrc 4y ago
        I know with the Leaf that would be relatively easy, because it doesn't ensure current from the battery matches the current going to the motor, so if you add a plug into the HV and inject power so the battery current nets zero, it can drive indefinitely. The gen2 (non-plug-in) Prius throws errors if it detects current out of balance so it's a lot harder to hack. So whether any given car could easily be hacked to use a generator is up to the particular implementation and us hackers don't have those Rivian vans! Though, I wonder if anyone has hacked the pickup yet?
      - hot_gril 4y ago
        People would make fun of the generator trailer too much. They already do.
    - hot_gril 4y ago
      It'd be for emergencies or maybe the one planned night you can't charge from the grid. Same as those primary-EV hybrids, it's just that you wanted this specific truck that happens to be full electric.

I wish I could buy one of those vans. They're almost exactly what I want to make a camper from.

by coryrc 4y ago

I wish I could buy one of those vans. They're almost exactly what I want to make a camper from.

EVs are still not campervan ready unless you have no plans to boondock (i.e you will always have a connection to the grid when you stop for the night). If you use solar for recharging, best efforts (with a huge unfolding PV array) get you maybe 100 mile hops. That might be enough for some folks, but it's probably not going to be generally satisfactory (and, btw, it is a huge PV array that is required).

coryrc 4y ago
My plan is large PV array for supplying daily needs but paid charging or campsites for the vast majority of travel energy. Slow or local travel is the primary usage.
hot_gril 4y ago
Would a diesel generator solve the problem?
- fbdab103 4y ago
  Now you have to carry the diesel inside the cabin. I have no idea what the efficiency is, but I have to assume diesel generator->electric battery is going to take a sizeable bite out of the energy budget. At that point why not just buy an ICE?
  - jaclaz 4y ago
    >Now you have to carry the diesel inside the cabin. Or have a trailer with the generator and fuel tank, I always thought (if we can depart from the "ideological" part of EV vs. ICE) that it could be a "standard" range extender for any kind of electric car, a sort of hybrid on demand, you normally drive (short range) an EV and if you have to do a longer trip you rent the trailer with the generator set.
    - coryrc 4y ago
      I know with the Leaf that would be relatively easy, because it doesn't ensure current from the battery matches the current going to the motor, so if you add a plug into the HV and inject power so the battery current nets zero, it can drive indefinitely. The gen2 (non-plug-in) Prius throws errors if it detects current out of balance so it's a lot harder to hack. So whether any given car could easily be hacked to use a generator is up to the particular implementation and us hackers don't have those Rivian vans! Though, I wonder if anyone has hacked the pickup yet?
    - hot_gril 4y ago
      People would make fun of the generator trailer too much. They already do.
  - hot_gril 4y ago
    It'd be for emergencies or maybe the one planned night you can't charge from the grid. Same as those primary-EV hybrids, it's just that you wanted this specific truck that happens to be full electric.